Friendship is Magic, or La Magia de la Amistad, is an ongoing magical girl comic written by mauroz. It follows humanized versions of Twilight Sparkle and her friends in an alternate universe, in which the powers of the Elements of Harmony manifest as elemental powers such as water and earth.

Contents

Format

The comic is published on deviantART in segments: a single image can range from 6 to 13 pages. Each part is initially uploaded in the author's native language of Spanish, but is later translated into English by English-speaking deviantART users.

Summary

Click "Expand" to view full chapter summary.

Prologue

Twilight's introduction.

The story begins with Twilight on her first day at school after she and her family moved to Ponyville, a sprawling city with skyscrapers. On her first day, Twilight meets (and inadvertently befriends) Pinkie, gets into an argument with Rainbow, and very briefly encounters Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. As she enters the school, a dark-skinned girl with long blue hair observes her from a distance.

Later that night, Twilight returns home to find a package from her older sister Celeste. In it, she finds a book, a small disk adorned with six jewels, and a unicorn horn tiara. When Twilight puts the tiara on, her consciousness is transported to another place, where she meets a fragment of Princess Celestia's spirit. She tells Twilight that, a long time ago, the real Celestia and her sister Luna ruled over an alternate dimension called Equestria, which was inhabited by ponies and various other creatures, and maintained harmony. Celestia's spirit goes on to explain about something called the Elements of Harmony, a collection of magical artifacts that Celestia and Luna had used to protect Equestria from evil, and that, centuries ago, she'd left the Elements in the care of an ancient civilization in Twilight's world known as "Bronies". It's said that, after entrusting the Elements to the Bronies, Celestia was reborn in Twilight's world as a human being. Twilight deduces this individual to be her sister Celeste.

The spirit of one of the Elements of Harmony, the element of magic, now resides within Twilight, and she's been chosen to protect her world from an approaching threat. Celestia's spirit tasks her with finding the other spirits of Harmony so they may combat this threat. Meanwhile, the dark-skinned blue-haired girl continues to observe Twilight from afar, taking notice of Twilight's awakening as an Element bearer and wearing a unicorn tiara of her own.

Chapter 1

Confrontation with Luna.

The next morning, Twilight communicates with Celeste via webcam. Celeste asks Twilight if she made any friends at school. Twilight mentions Pinkie and how annoying she was, but Celeste tells her to never reject someone who wants to be her friend. She also advises Twilight to meet with Celestia's spirit again and start learning magic.

At school, Twilight runs into Pinkie again, and they spend much of the afternoon together, much to Twilight's chagrin. When Pinkie finally asks Twilight if she bothers her, Twilight feels guilty for dismissing her and agrees to a sleepover. Later at Twilight's house, when Twilight and Pinkie are talking, time suddenly freezes, and Twilight is teleported to a nearby park, where she meets the blue-haired girl named Luna. Having taken notice of Twilight's magical awakening, Luna intends to harvest her spiritual power for herself. However, Pinkie is freed from Luna's spell and saves Twilight from Luna's attack. Luna reasons that Pinkie being unaffected by her spell means she bears one of the spirits of Harmony, and attacks her. Twilight's desire to protect Pinkie causes her unicorn tiara to appear on her forehead and a cutie mark to appear on her hip. With her newfound magic, Twilight fights Luna head-on. She channels some of the power of the other Elements, but it isn't enough to defeat Luna because she has yet to find the other bearers.

When Twilight asks Luna why she's doing this, Luna explains it's because of Celestia. She was informed by someone that, in her past life, Celestia had imprisoned her in Equestria's moon. She goes on to explain that Equestria is currently in a state of chaos due to a battle that broke out there. This prompted Celestia to relocate the Elements of Harmony and the souls of her subjects to Twilight's world, so that Equestria may be restored in the future. In response to all this, Celestia's spirit appears to confront Luna and challenge her on the astral plane. However, it was only a distraction to get Twilight and Pinkie to safety. When Luna reawakens, she finds she's been transported to an island on the other side of the world.

Changeling in disguise.

Thanks to Celeste's efforts, Ponyville is safe from Luna for one year. She apologizes to Twilight for the burden she's placed on her sister and informs her of the threat that quickly approaches their world: Discord. Celeste, unable to help Twilight further, entrusts her with protecting Ponyville from danger until Discord arrives.

The next day, Twilight gets Pinkie up to speed on everything that happened the previous night and what dangers Ponyville now faces. She gives Pinkie her jewel, causing her to awaken as the bearer of the spirit of laughter. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, an angered Luna is approached by a man wearing a changeling horn necklace. He asks her if she knows of the legend of Nightmare Moon.

Chapter 2

Love at first sight.

It's been three days since Twilight's encounter with Luna; feral beasts have begun appearing in Ponyville due to Discord's slowly rising power. Twilight and Pinkie's protective duties mostly entail defeating these beasts, extracting jewels containing pieces of Discord's energy from them, and destroying the jewels. They haven't yet found the other Element bearers, but Pinkie has an idea: bring the Elements to school and see which students they get from a reaction from.

The only result their search reveals is Rarity, the class president, as the bearer of the spirit of generosity. After school, Twilight and Pinkie trail Rarity to a soup kitchen. Because of a misunderstanding on Rarity's part, the two of them help out. Later on, Rarity thanks them for their help and explains her reasons for volunteering at a homeless shelter, revealing that the generosity of a stranger saved her mother's life and inspired her to always be generous toward others. With this, Twilight gives Rarity the jewel of generosity and asks her to meet her at a river near the school the next day.

Steven Magnet attacks!

The following morning, Rarity appears on Twilight's doorstep, where she meets Spike. The two of them go to the river, with Spike following close behind, and Twilight explains the true nature of the jewel and everything she herself now knows. At first Rarity doesn't believe a word, but she changes her tune when Twilight transforms. All of a sudden, an Equestrian beast -- a sea serpent -- attacks. Twilight summons the "Architect of Equestria" (a filly Fausticorn) for information on how to defeat the beast. Due to a miscommunication, Twilight mistakenly cuts off half of the sea serpent's moustache, greatly angering it. When it attacks Rarity and Spike, Twilight jumps in front of the attack and gets injured. Upset by this, Rarity awakens as an Element bearer, giving her control over earth and rock. With the Architect's guidance, Rarity heals Twilight, and they team up against the monster.

Understanding the sea serpent's concern about its appearance, Rarity appeases it with a generous gift, using her scarf to restore its moustache. The serpent expresses its gratitude to Rarity, destroying the Discord Jewel inside it, and it returns to Equestria. The Architect commends Rarity for her accomplishment, and before she disappears, she passes along an ominous warning to Spike concerning a heart-shaped ruby.

Meanwhile, Luna observes Twilight and the two bearers she's found. She herself has found a bearer in the girl named Rainbow, and tasks three individuals named the Shadowbolts with bringing the girl to her and destroying Twilight and her friends.

Chapter 3

Asocial Applejack.

Four days later, Rainbow is seen practicing for a parkour competition while Fluttershy monitors her and keeps time. Applejack watches from close by as the two have fun and enjoy each other's company.

Later in the early evening, Fluttershy walks home. She decides to take a short cut through an alley, but she's beset upon by a trio of muscle-bound thugs (human versions of the Diamond Dogs, according to the author). Spike tries to help her get away, but the thugs quickly surround them. Applejack steps in and makes quick work of the hooligans. When Fluttershy thanks Applejack for her help and calls her "friend", Applejack snaps at her, saying she isn't and never will be her friend.

"Friendship's nothin' but a farce... [...] They always end up deceiving you..."

— Applejack

Elsewhere, Rainbow is on one last practice run when she observes a hooded teenager who's more skilled at parkour than she is. When she attempts to mimic one of his moves, she nearly falls from a great height, but the hooded teen saves her. The teen introduces himself as Descent, a member of a parkour team called the Shadowbolts. He compliments Rainbow for being so skilled at her age, and recruits her to join his team. Rainbow's reluctant at first, as she wishes to join the Wonderbolts (particularly because of Soarin), but Descent entices her into agreeing. He asks her to meet him the next day after school, and though it means being unable to meet up with Fluttershy, Rainbow agrees to this as well. As a token of their arrangement, Descent gives Rainbow a necklace, given to him by his "trainer" Luna.

Kind Fluttershy.

The next day, after school, Pinkie and Rarity discuss skin-tight battle suits for them to wear in combat before Twilight walks off. At the front of the school, she finds Fluttershy waiting for Rainbow to arrive, unaware that she's being trained by Descent elsewhere in the city.

Twilight spends the afternoon with Fluttershy, helping her plant trees in the park. When she asks Fluttershy about her tendency to avoid others, Fluttershy discloses how much teasing and abuse she receives from her peers at school. An understandably shocked Twilight decides to protect Fluttershy from such torment as long as the two of them are in each other's company. They discover a stray cat with its leg caught in some wire. While the stray hisses and scratches at Twilight, Fluttershy pacifies it with ease. At that moment, a pink glow from Twilight's purse reveals to her that Fluttershy is the bearer of the spirit of kindness. She takes Fluttershy to meet her friends at school.

Meanwhile, Descent introduces Rainbow to his Shadowbolt teammates: a woman named Nightingale and a burly fellow named Haze. Nightingale sizes up Rainbow's repertoire and agrees to test her before letting her join, telling her to meet them in two hours. With that, Rainbow goes to meet Fluttershy.

In front of the school, Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity celebrate their finding another Element bearer in Fluttershy. They explain the situation to her, and it's naturally a lot for Fluttershy to take in. As the four entertain the idea of having a slumber party, Rainbow arrives, shocked to find Fluttershy talking with Twilight and her friends. The necklace Descent gave her starts to glow, and Rainbow scolds Fluttershy, dragging her away from the girls and forbidding her from talking to them.

"You can trust me, and nobody else. [...] We can only depend on ourselves."

— Rainbow Dash

Manny Roar on the prowl!

Promising Fluttershy that things will soon change, Rainbow goes to meet with the Shadowbolts again. Back in the park, Descent finds the stray cat Fluttershy helped and corrupts its spirit with a black jewel.

Later, as the sun starts to go down, Fluttershy sits alone waiting for Rainbow to return, and Twilight and her friends approach her. Fluttershy tells them to leave her alone for fear of angering Rainbow, but Twilight and the others want to be friends with both Fluttershy and Rainbow. The stray cat from earlier appears before the girls once again, transforming into a monstrous Equestrian manticore. Twilight tells Fluttershy to stay back as the manticore goes on the attack!

Rainbow's loyalty shines through.

Elsewhere, Nightingale, impressed by Rainbow's skills, allows her to join the Shadowbolts. She reminds Rainbow that joining the team would involve relocating to Paris for six months, and Rainbow is excited to bring Fluttershy along. Unfortunately, the Shadowbolts' invitation is for Rainbow only, and Nightingale forces her to make a choice. Before the power of her necklace influences her decision, Rainbow remembers a promise she made to Soarin to always be loyal to her friends. With an emphatic "no", Rainbow declines Nightingale's invitation and walks away. Nightingale is about to take Rainbow by force before Luna stops her from afar, reasoning that Rainbow's very loyalty will see her joining them voluntarily.

Meanwhile, Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie are barely holding their own against the manticore; any attempts to stop it or slow it down are useless against its sheer ferocity. When Pinkie manages to freeze the beast in a block of ice, Twilight and Rarity prepare to extract the Discord Jewel from it, but Luna intervenes, appearing before the Element bearers in spirit. She informs them that Ponyville isn't the only place in which Discord's monsters are appearing, and that Twilight's sister Celeste is the rest of the world's lone defense against such monsters. Realizing that Fluttershy herself is one of the bearers of an Element of Harmony, Luna orders the manticore to kill her. Twilight and Rarity throw up magical defenses, but the manticore gets around their defenses and attacks Fluttershy. At the last second, Pinkie throws herself in front of Fluttershy and receives the attack, suffering a grievous injury.

As Fluttershy collapses in tears, the manticore continues going on the offensive, eventually downing Twilight and Rarity as well. Scared for her life, Fluttershy recalls Applejack's words about her helplessness. Fluttershy makes a desperate vow not to let anyone else suffer, and she awakens as an Element bearer, giving her a beautiful pair of wings and control over wind and nature. With these powers, Fluttershy restrains the manticore long enough for Twilight and Rarity to extract and destroy the Discord Jewel.

Rainbow makes her decision.

The three see to the injured Pinkie, and Fluttershy uses her new powers to heal her wounds. With this, Fluttershy is officially welcomed into the group, much to Rainbow's heartbreak when she finally returns. Fluttershy tries to explain, but Rainbow will hear none of it, feeling betrayed. She swears revenge on Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity before running off.

As the moon settles in the sky over Ponyville, the heartbroken Rainbow returns to the Shadowbolts. She tells them that there's nothing for her in Ponyville anymore and that she wants to be a Shadowbolt.

Chapter 4

Rainbow strangling Twilight.

Sometime later, Celeste instructs Twilight on magic on the astral plane, but Twilight is unable to focus, distracted by thoughts of Rainbow. As the two call it a night, Twilight resolves to find and talk to Rainbow.

The next morning, Pinkie meets up with Fluttershy and Rarity, Fluttershy still broken up over her falling-out with Rainbow. Meanwhile, on the way to school, Twilight crosses paths with Rainbow and demands that they talk. When Rainbow refuses and callously dismisses Fluttershy, Twilight confronts her directly. As he listens from nearby, the Shadowbolt named Haze exerts his own influence on Rainbow's necklace. Rainbow begins behaving strangely, and an analysis of her aura tells Twilight that she's being controlled.

Rainbow suddenly tackles Twilight to the ground and strangles her. Unable to move, Twilight telepathically calls out to her friends for help. Just before Twilight loses consciousness, Applejack appears and pulls Rainbow off of her. A fight ensues between Rainbow and Applejack, and the spectating Twilight tells Applejack to remove Rainbow's necklace. Before the cowgirl can ask why, the fight rages on, with Rainbow demonstrating amazing strength and speed.

Rainbow vs. Applejack!

On the other side of town, Nightingale and Descent pick up on the change in Rainbow's aura and conclude that someone's tampering with the necklace's magic. They sprout wings and take off toward the battlefield.

As Applejack and Rainbow brawl, the more petite Rainbow manages to land more hits, Applejack only managing to grab her and throw her away a couple times. When Applejack finally incapacitates Rainbow for a moment, Twilight attempts to use telekinesis to remove the necklace, but Haze's magic disables the use of her own. Rainbow catches Applejack even more by surprise when she mimics her signature move. But the tables soon turn: Rainbow's legs cramp up as a result of Applejack's grapples, allowing the cowgirl to take Rainbow's necklace off and break it. Rainbow is freed from the Shadowbolts' control, and Haze is amazed by Applejack's skill.

When Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy finally arrive to Twilight's rescue, Nightingale and Descent arrive as well, swooping down from the sky on black wings, much to Applejack's complete shock and Haze's frustration. The two Shadowbolts retrieve Rainbow and fly away, goading the girls into following. Twilight and her friends go to rescue Rainbow, leaving Applejack behind. As the cowgirl attempts to make sense of everything that's just happened, she's approached by Haze.

Rainbow regains consciousness in Descent's arms and is shocked to discover he and Nightingale have wings. As the two Shadowbolts explain everything to her, Twilight and her friends are hot on their trail. While Twilight believes there to still be a chance to talk to Rainbow, Fluttershy is not as hopeful. Rainbow is even more surprised to hear that she and everyone she knows were once ponies living in another dimension. Nightingale and Descent convince her to side with Luna, enticing her with the prospect of being in control of her latent powers. Rainbow agrees, and at the Shadowbolts' encouragement, she goes to cross the barrier surrounding the city and meet with Luna herself. Meanwhile, Nightingale and Descent await Twilight and her friends' arrival to stop them from reaching Rainbow.

Descent goes on the offensive!

Twilight and friends finally catch up with the Shadowbolts, who introduce themselves as followers of Luna. They inform the four friends that Rainbow is the bearer of the spirit of loyalty, and with Rainbow's powers in their current state, she can be made to ally with Luna through proper manipulation. Realizing that Rainbow will soon be out of their reach, Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity send Fluttershy to go after her while they hold the Shadowbolts off. Thanks to Twilight's illusion spell, Fluttershy flies after Rainbow. Pinkie fights Descent solo, and Twilight and Rarity team up against Nightingale.

"Wait for me, Rainbow... Please... don't go."

— Fluttershy

Meanwhile, Haze explains everything to Applejack as well, telling her that she's the bearer of the spirit of honesty and must unite with the other bearers. Predictably, Applejack doesn't believe a word he says and prepares to leave. In an attempt to convince her, Haze presents a black ribbon to Applejack and threatens to leave with it. Applejack suddenly loses her temper and demands the ribbon from him. Once again, Haze tells her to join the other bearers, but Applejack refuses. Haze goes to greater lengths to convince Applejack, as far as threatening the safety of her little sister Applebloom. An enraged Applejack attacks him, but Haze fends off the attack with just a finger. Realizing Applejack's stubbornness, Haze subdues her with the same magic he used to disable Twilight's magic earlier: a gem he calls the "Emerald of the Damned". With his magic, Haze reaches far into Applejack's memories to find out why she's so opposed to friendship, and Applejack screams.

Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie trade magical blows with Nightingale and Descent. Twilight and Rarity barely hold their own against Nightingale, but Pinkie simply toys with Descent, frustrating him. In the middle of the battle, Twilight and Rarity see the jewel of honesty shining inside Twilight's backpack. The two briefly consider abandoning the fight to go find the jewel's bearer but decide against it for fear of the Shadowbolts finding out.

Applejack the sad loner.

As a result of Haze's tampering with Applejack's memories, the cowgirl is reduced to a curled-up heap of tears on the ground. Haze realizes that Applejack's aversion to friendship runs deep and there'd be no convincing her otherwise, even with all the power at his disposal. Just then, Nightingale contacts him telepathically, beckoning his assistance. His business with Applejack complete, Haze takes his leave of her.

Elsewhere, as Rainbow approaches the edge of the city, she thinks about her old friend Gilda and the last day they spent together before Rainbow moved away. She remembers their promise to never forget one another and that they'll always be friends. As Rainbow tries to come to terms with her severed friendship with Fluttershy, Fluttershy herself arrives, Rainbow shocked to discover she also has wings. Out of breath, Fluttershy begs Rainbow not to leave.

Back on the battlefield, as Pinkie continues to make a fool of Descent, Twilight and Rarity slowly gain the upper hand against Nightingale, the Shadowbolt noticing that Twilight and her friends' power increases with each new Element bearer they recruit. Rarity summons a giant diamond golem arm to attack Nightingale (her magic not being strong enough to summon the entire golem), but Haze arrives and intercepts the attack with a barrier. He warns Rarity to stand down, but Rarity refuses and attacks with the golem arm again. In retaliation, Haze slices the arm clean in half, explaining that the diamond golem is only as powerful as its summoner. As a result of Haze's attack, Rarity finds herself temporarily paralyzed. Haze prepares to deal the final blow, and Rarity cries out for help...

Back near the edge of the city, Fluttershy tries to convince Rainbow that Luna and the Shadowbolts are using her. Rainbow argues that Fluttershy herself is also being used by Twilight and the others and that she is Fluttershy's only friend. Fed up, Fluttershy asserts her independence, saying she's not Rainbow's pet or property and is able to have other friends. Before Rainbow doubts their friendship further, Fluttershy reminds her of a promise they both made to Soarin three years prior...

Chapter 5

Rainbow and Soarin running together.

In a flashback to three years ago, Soarin naps on a grassy hill next to a soccer field when a soccer ball suddenly hits his head. He notices three kids playing: Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and a boy with most of his face hidden that the other two address as "Daring". "Daring" is shown to be a skilled player, and Hoops and Dumb-Bell ask him to join their soccer team. However, Soarin inadvertently outs "Daring" as a young Rainbow in disguise. Hoops and Dumb-Bell, opposed to playing with a girl, are angered by the deception, and Rainbow runs off.

Soarin catches up with Rainbow and helps her shake the pursuing boys with parkour, Rainbow just barely keeping up. Soarin is impressed by Rainbow's skills, but when a jump from a high ledge threatens her with serious harm, Soarin saves her.

After proper introductions and a bit of talking (and an offhand suggestion that Rainbow dye her hair), Soarin tells Rainbow that she has the potential to be a member of the Wonderbolts. Upon learning who the Wonderbolts are and what they do, Rainbow decides to enroll in the Wonderbolts Academy. Although the yearly tuition to attend is too expensive, Soarin mentions a scholarship given as a prize for a tournament held every four years, and he offers to teach her some parkour basics. Before he leaves for France, he gives Rainbow a necklace with the Wonderbolts' lightning bolt insignia.

A few days later, Rainbow sees some schoolgirls picking on a young Fluttershy, publicly ridiculing her and having dumped red paint on her. Student bystanders are less than sympathetic to Fluttershy's plight, and Rainbow minds her own business. That evening, Rainbow sees Fluttershy on a bridge, about to jump off and commit suicide. Rainbow stops her just in time and chastises her for even thinking of doing such a thing. Fluttershy, being the new girl in Ponyville, is convinced no one likes her, but Rainbow tells her what she herself learned from Soarin: there are always those who love and respect you.

"Don't take your life for those who hate you. Live it for someone you love and who loves you."

— Rainbow

Fluttershy patches Rainbow's wound.

From that day forward, Fluttershy watched Rainbow closely from a distance. One day, when Rainbow trips on a rock and bruises her knee, Fluttershy comes over and offers her first aid services. From then on, they spent every afternoon together, with Fluttershy occasionally helping Rainbow with her training, and they became close friends.

On the day of the Wonderbolts Academy tournament, Fluttershy accompanies Rainbow as she tries to sign up for the senior competition bracket. But the registration staff refuse her because she's not old enough. When Soarin hears the commotion and walks over, he reunites with Rainbow and meets Fluttershy. Hearing Rainbow's dilemma, he tries convincing the staff to let Rainbow sign up, despite the grievances of the staff, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot. He only gets them to agree by blackmailing Spitfire with a secret that he whispers into her ear. With that, Rainbow heads to the starting line while Fluttershy accompanies the Wonderbolts to the spectator seats. Spitfire and Fleetfoot wonder why Soarin is so deeply invested in Rainbow.

On your marks... Get set...

At the starting line, Rainbow engages in a bit of trash talk with fellow competitor Thunderlane, who seeks to surpass the undefeated Soarin. The mayor of Ponyville announces the start of the race and, after the ten-second countdown, fires the starting pistol. Rainbow suffers a bit of foul play complication out of the starting gate, but she quickly recovers. Her determination catches the attention of a sickly young girl in the crowd. Despite better overall performance by other runners, especially Thunderlane, Soarin is confident that Rainbow will win.

Rainbow takes advantage of some tight-fit shortcuts on the track and pulls ahead of the pack. However, she soon faces a parkour maneuver that she's never been able to pull off: the ninja jump. She remembers Soarin telling her a few months prior that what's most important isn't winning but giving people something to remember and being an example to follow. Finally fed up, Spitfire presses Soarin for the truth about why he's so invested in Rainbow's success. Soarin explains that, as time went on, the Wonderbolts became less of an example to follow and more of an unattainable goal. In Rainbow, Soarin sees the hope of returning faith and dreams to those who lost sight of them.

Rainbow attempts the ninja jump and nearly reaches the top -- and even Spitfire starts to cheer her on -- but she stops when a butterfly lands on her hand. Rainbow thinks of Fluttershy and what her winning will mean for their friendship. In that moment, Soarin knows deep down that Rainbow won't win because "she finally found what she was looking for". Thus, Rainbow lets go of the ledge and takes a dive, conceding victory to Thunderlane.

Rainbow and Fluttershy: friends to the end.

The crowd cheers, and the sickly girl named Scootaloo becomes a big fan of Rainbow's. Fluttershy and the Wonderbolts catch up with Rainbow, who's sad about losing and letting Soarin down. Soarin reminds her that winning isn't everything, and Spitfire and Fleetfoot now see what's so special about her. Rainbow had thrown the race because Fluttershy was so important to her, and Soarin says they complement one another in perfect harmony. The two vow to Soarin that they will never forget that they're friends or lose trust in each other.

In present day, Rainbow remembers the promise but still has difficulty trusting Fluttershy after everything that's happened. Fluttershy says she will always be Rainbow's friend, but it's up to Rainbow herself to decide whether or not to be a friend in return. Fluttershy goes to rejoin her other friends on the battlefield as Rainbow struggles with her decision.

Chapter 6

Pinkie's split personality.

As Pinkie battles Descent, she senses that he's a good person at heart and that deep down he doesn't want to hurt others. Descent denies her assertions. Suddenly, Rarity flies backward into a tree trunk near Pinkie; her body is bloodied and bruised, and Haze has stolen the jewel of generosity from her. In response to seeing her friend in this state, Pinkie suddenly attacks Haze, adopting a different and much more vicious fighting style.

Everyone around Pinkie notices her change in demeanor, especially as she breaks the bones in Haze's left arm. Water clones keep Descent and Nightingale at bay while Pinkie proceeds to crush Haze's internal organs. Before she can take more twisted delight in her actions, Twilight snaps her out of it. Haze takes advantage of this and knocks Pinkie unconscious. Haze uses magic to repair his arm and organs, saying to Nightingale that, as long as Luna wins, it doesn't matter if he dies. Descent is a little sympathetic to Pinkie getting hurt, but Nightingale reminds him that their allegiance is to Luna only.

Meanwhile, Rainbow remembers more of Soarin's words: to follow her heart and choose what makes her happy. Remembering that Fluttershy makes her happy, Rainbow turns around to go and help the others. Back on the battlefield, as the Shadowbolts corner Twilight, Fluttershy arrives to assist. However, their efforts appear to be in vain; Haze reveals that Luna has been sending the Shadowbolts a near-limitless supply of power. With this knowledge, Haze sits the rest of the battle out.

Twilight uses telepathy to formulate a plan with Fluttershy: while Twilight holds off Descent and Nightingale, Fluttershy heals Pinkie and Rarity's injuries. They put their plan into action, and during the next round, Twilight reaches out to Descent like Pinkie did. Unfortunately, Nightingale intervenes. Even worse, Fluttershy succeeds in healing Pinkie and Rarity, but they don't regain consciousness. As Twilight falls, Fluttershy heals her as well, but her magic begins to take its toll.

Rainbow saves Twilight and Fluttershy.

Fluttershy attempts to protect herself and Twilight with a cyclone spell, but Descent and Nightingale overwhelm her with a tornado of darkness. Just as Rainbow arrives, Twilight and Fluttershy go flying over a nearby cliff. At the last possible moment, Rainbow saves them from a branch, but they're too heavy for her to pull up. She begs for the Shadowbolts to help. The Shadowbolts understand the depths of Rainbow's friendship with Fluttershy and agree to help on one condition: allow Twilight to fall. Rainbow refuses, finally acknowledging Twilight and the others as her friends and saying she'll never abandon them.

In response, Nightingale destroys the branch, and Rainbow, Twilight, and Fluttershy plummet toward the bottom of the ravine. Rainbow holds Twilight and Fluttershy close, fully recognizing the importance of loyalty, and the jewel of loyalty shines inside Twilight's backpack. Rainbow awakens as an Element bearer, giving her majestic blue wings, and she flies back to the top of the cliff with Twilight and Fluttershy. She challenges the Shadowbolts solo, but Descent has a change of heart after witnessing Rainbow's selflessness and decides to stop fighting.

Enraged by Descent's betrayal, Nightingale fights Rainbow alone, but Rainbow proves far too fast for Nightingale to follow. With some telepathic guidance from Celeste, Rainbow harnesses her new abilities and defeats Nightingale easily. Before retreating with Nightingale, Descent thanks Rainbow for not hurting her too badly. Revealing his real name as Flash, Descent bids Rainbow farewell, and Rainbow wishes him good luck.

Rainbow's friends soon regain consciousness, and only Haze stands before them now. However, much to the Element bearers' confusion, Haze withdraws as well to allow them some time to rest and heal their wounds. He warns them that, when they have gathered all six bearers together, he will show no mercy next time. At long last, the girls' day-long battle is over.

Luna's backup plan.

Elsewhere, Luna curses the Shadowbolts for failing to carry out their task. Behind her is a glowing green cocoon, and she takes solace in the fact that whatever hatches from it will definitely defeat Twilight and the others.

The following Friday evening, Twilight has the other bearers over for her first slumber party. As the five friends have much fun together, Twilight is hopeful that they'll find the sixth and final Element bearer soon. Meanwhile, somewhere in Europe, Haze meets with Christopher, the young man that Luna spoke with at the end of chapter 1. Revealed to be a young shape-shifting boy named Edward, he informs Christopher that five of the Element bearers have now been assembled. With everything going according to plan, Christopher makes plans to head to Ponyville himself, holding up a unicorn tiara with a heart-shaped ruby.

Chapter 7

One week after the battle with the Shadowbolts, the Element bearers spend much of their time fighting Discord's invading monsters, made much easier with Rainbow fighting with them. However, they have made no progress in finding the bearer of the spirit of honesty. One Sunday morning, Twilight wakes up to discover the jewel of honesty glowing on her nightstand. She tracks the glow's source to a remote forest and finds Applejack talking to the trees. Applejack discovers Twilight's presence, and before Twilight has a chance to talk to her, she angrily demands that Twilight leave.

Gilda appears.

A few hours later, Pinkie meets Fluttershy and Rainbow during a morning practice run. All of a sudden, a person in a brown hoodie steals Fluttershy's stopwatch and runs off. Rainbow gives chase after the thief, noticing that they're as considerably athletic as she is. When Rainbow finally corners the thief, they address her as "Dash". Realizing that only one other person has ever called her Dash, Rainbow recognizes the thief as her old childhood friend Gilda.

Meanwhile, at Rarity's boutique, Twilight asks Rarity about Applejack, saying she wants to talk to her more but doesn't know where she lives. Rarity has Applejack's home address, but she warns Twilight of how reclusive Applejack is.

Back on the other side of the city, Rainbow introduces Gilda to the new friends she made. As they catch up on old times, Gilda is particularly surprised to learn that Rainbow and Fluttershy had known each other for more than three years.

Twilight catches Big Mac sneaking into his house.

Twilight finds Applejack's residence and discovers it to be a large mansion -- much to Twilight's shock, Applejack and her family are enterprise-owning millionaires. In an attempt to gain entry into the house, Twilight tries climbing over the front gate, but a tall, handsome teenager catches her. The teenager catches Twilight before she falls, and just before he calls the police on her for unlawful entry, Applebloom enters.

Back at the beachfront, Gilda recalls the day she and Rainbow first met: Gilda defended Rainbow from some bullies, and the two became fast friends. As Rainbow, Gilda, Pinkie, and Fluttershy laugh together, Fluttershy is upset to learn that Gilda is a carnivore and that she and Dash used to hunt animals for food and sport. As she angrily drags Pinkie and Rainbow off to buy some vegetables, a mysterious man approaches Gilda.

At Applejack's house, Twilight learns that the boy who nearly called the police on her is Applebloom's older brother Big Macintosh and that they are both Applejack's siblings. After Applebloom leaves the room to get drinks, Twilight and Big Mac talk a little, with Twilight slowly falling for him, and Twilight learns more about Applejack's personal life, particularly that she hasn't had any friends for over five years. When Applejack suddenly returns home, she becomes irritable at finding Twilight in her home. At Big Mac's encouragement, Applejack decides to talk with Twilight in private.

Gilda jealous of Rainbow's friends.

At the beach, Gilda is confronted by Christopher, who plays on Gilda's insecurities about seeing Rainbow with new friends. He tries to deceive Gilda into thinking that Rainbow's forgotten about her, but Gilda refuses to believe it. Suddenly, Christopher vanishes. Though Gilda doesn't fully believe what Christopher said to her, she begins to have doubts.

Inside Applejack's home gym, Twilight tells Applejack everything she herself knows: about Princess Celestia, Equestria, the threat of Discord that led to every living thing in Equestria being reborn in the human world, and the Elements of Harmony. When Applejack asks what this all has to do with her, Twilight tells her that she is one of the bearers of the Elements: the element of honesty.

Rainbow and her friends have a friendly picnic on the beach. During this, Gilda suddenly asks Rainbow to return with her to Siberia. Before Rainbow can answer, one of Discord's monsters -- a monstrous hydra -- suddenly appears and attacks. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow tap into the powers of their elements to go on the counteroffensive. Gilda is in under disbelief by what she is seeing, but Rainbow promises to explain later.

"Will you forget the head-slicing thing?!"

After hearing Twilight's entire explanation, Applejack doesn't believe a word of it. To demonstrate that she's telling the truth, Twilight awakens her Element powers right before Applejack's eyes.

As Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow fight the Equestrian hydra, Christopher telepathically communicates with Gilda and tells her again that Rainbow no longer needs her. During the battle, Pinkie seemingly defeats the hydra by severing its four heads, but it just grows back eight more. As Christopher continues playing on Gilda's insecurities, one of the hydra's heads attacks Gilda. Rainbow swoops down and saves her from harm's way, and Gilda slowly comes to realize that Christopher is right -- Rainbow doesn't need her anymore.

A mysterious girl appears.

Christopher takes delight in his plan working, but he suddenly senses an unfamiliar spiritual presence nearby. All of a sudden, someone from somewhere casts a barrier spell to expose the hydra's Discord Jewel. As Christopher wonders where the barrier spell came from, he spots a mysterious girl with red and yellow hair standing on a rooftop. Before Christopher can determine who the girl is or where she came from, she departs using a unicorn horn wand.

With Pinkie's odd tactics distracting the hydra, Rainbow takes advantage of its now exposed weak spot to destroy it. Apair of inquisitive university newspaper reporters nearly catch wind of the magical spectacle, but Pinkie manages to convince them that it was nothing out of the ordinary.

As the sun starts to set on the beachfront, Rainbow explains to Gilda everything that happened to her over the past couple of weeks. Gilda is furious to see how close Rainbow has gotten to Fluttershy and the others and demands that she return with her to Siberia. Despite Rainbow's desire to stay and duty to fight the evil Luna, Gilda refuses to hear any of it.

"Now that you have powers you don't need me anymore, do you?"

— Gilda

Rainbow makes a hard choice.

Gilda forces Rainbow to make a choice between her old friends and her new friends. As Rainbow remembers a past conversation with Soarin, Rainbow picks Fluttershy and the others over her, saying she can't simply abandon them. Heartbroken, Gilda runs off in tears.

Back at Applejack's house, Applejack now believes Twilight's story, but she still refuses to join her and the other Element bearers. When Twilight asks why, Applejack explains that friendship is nothing more than a convenience -- one only looks for friends if they're seeking to gain something. Twilight is a prime example of this -- she would never have approached Applejack if it weren't for the jewel of honesty. This causes Twilight to question why she became friends with the others in the first place. The jewel of honesty glows in Twilight's hand, indicating that Applejack is being truly honest. Realizing that she won't be able to reach Applejack this way, Twilight leaves and promises never to bother her again.

Later that night, Christopher approaches the heartbroken Gilda once more. When Gilda says all she wants is to protect Rainbow, Christopher offers her the power to do so in exchange for her absolute loyalty. Gilda accepts and declares revenge on Fluttershy and the other bearers.

Characters

Twilight

The main character. 14 years old. Much like her pony counterpart, is asocial and has a strong fondness for books. The spirit of magic grants her a wide variety of magic spells.

Pinkie

The first friend Twilight makes at her new school. Expectedly hyperactive and talkative, a lover of parties and celebrations. The spirit of laughter grants her control over the element of water. Has a violent split personality (based on the Pinkamena fan depiction).

Rarity

The second of Twilight's friends, and the most popular girl at her school. Generous to a fault and passionate about fashion. The spirit of generosity grants her control over earth and crystal.

Rainbow

An energetic short schoolgirl and parkour expert. 13 years old. Seeks to get into Wonderbolt Academy. When she was younger, she had Fluttershy dye her hair at Soarin's suggestion; her original hair color is completely blue. The spirit of loyalty grants her control over electricity.

Applejack

A socially aloof girl who spends much of her time alone. Openly rejects those who wish to be friends with her.

Fluttershy

Rainbow's best friend of three years. Particularly shy and withdrawn. The spirit of kindness grants her control over wind, nature, and healing magic.

Celeste

Twilight's older sister. A world explorer and archaeologist. The reincarnation of Princess Celestia.

Spike

Twilight's adoptive little brother. Has a crush on Rarity.

Luna

The reincarnation of Princess Luna. Seeks revenge against Celestia for things she did to her in their respective past lives.

Shadowbolts

A group of individuals that works for Luna under the guise of a parkour team. Members include Nightingale, Descent (real name Flash Sentry), and Haze (real name Edward).

Wonderbolts

An extreme sports and athletics team that also serves as an emergency response team for natural disasters. Members include Soarin, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot.